Croatian Olympic official resigns after arrest in corruption case

A Croatian Olympic Committee official arrested over alleged corruption has resigned, the committee said Friday, in a case linked to a wider investigation at the country’s ski federation.

Damir Segota, director of the committee’s Olympic programme, and his wife were arrested on Thursday, their lawyers confirmed. They were questioned, and local media reported that Segota’s wife was released. An investigating judge was expected to decide later on Friday whether Segota would be held in custody.

Authorities are also seeking the extradition of former alpine skiing director Vedran Pavlek from Kazakhstan. He is suspected of leading a scheme that diverted nearly 30 million euros, or about $35 million, from the national ski federation.

Searches were carried out in the Olympic Committee offices of Segota and secretary general Sinisa Krajac. The committee said earlier that Krajac was questioned as a witness and that no criminal proceedings had been opened against him.

In a statement announcing Segota’s resignation, the committee said individual cases should not overshadow the work of athletes, coaches, sports workers and national sports federations in Croatia.

Local media reported that Segota allegedly received at least 160,000 euros in bribes over 10 years in exchange for illegally releasing Olympic funds to the ski federation.

Prosecutors launched an investigation in March into six people, including Pavlek, who was later arrested in Kazakhstan. The scandal also led to the resignation of long-time Olympic Committee head Zlatko Matesa.

Pavlek’s period in the sport coincided with Croatia’s most successful alpine skiing era, when siblings Janica and Ivica Kostelic won 10 Olympic medals.